Shaoxing wine
Encyclopedia
Shaoxing wine is one of the most famous varieties of huangjiu
, or traditional Chinese wines, fermented from rice. It originates from the region of Shaoxing
, in the Zhejiang
province of eastern China
. It is both drunk as a beverage as well as widely used in Chinese cuisine
. It is internationally well-known and renowned throughout mainland China
, as well as in Taiwan
and Southeast Asia
.
will drink their wine out of rice bowls-which is also the serving style at Xian Heng Jiu Dian (see link below). Women customarily do not drink very much as it is considered somewhat unbecoming. If not served at a meal, Shaoxing wine can also accompany peanuts or other common snacks.
Huang jiu 黄酒, as it is known locally, is also well known for its use in meat dishes, in addition to being an ingredient in many dishes of Chinese cuisine. It is a key ingredient of Mao Zedong
's favourite dish of braised pork belly with mushrooms and scallion greens - what he called his "brain food" that helped him defeat his enemies. The following is a sample list of other common Shaoxing wine-marinated dishes. It is not limited to the following:
Huangjiu
Huangjiu is a type of Chinese beverage brewed directly from grains such as rice, millet, or wheat. Unlike baijiu, such liquors are not distilled, and contain less than 20% alcohol, due to the inhibition of fermentation by ethanol at that concentration...
, or traditional Chinese wines, fermented from rice. It originates from the region of Shaoxing
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
, in the Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province of eastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is both drunk as a beverage as well as widely used in Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
. It is internationally well-known and renowned throughout mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, as well as in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Production
Shaoxing wine has been in production since the dynastic times. Large quantities are made and stored in the classic Shaoxing wine container over long periods of time. It is also shipped internationally in bottles. Aged wines are referred to vintage (chennian, 陳年).Usage
Shaoxing wine can be drunk as a beverage and is considered to take the place of rice at the beginning of a meal. When at home some familieswill drink their wine out of rice bowls-which is also the serving style at Xian Heng Jiu Dian (see link below). Women customarily do not drink very much as it is considered somewhat unbecoming. If not served at a meal, Shaoxing wine can also accompany peanuts or other common snacks.
Huang jiu 黄酒, as it is known locally, is also well known for its use in meat dishes, in addition to being an ingredient in many dishes of Chinese cuisine. It is a key ingredient of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's favourite dish of braised pork belly with mushrooms and scallion greens - what he called his "brain food" that helped him defeat his enemies. The following is a sample list of other common Shaoxing wine-marinated dishes. It is not limited to the following:
- Drunken chickenDrunken chickenDrunken chicken is the name given to several different ways of preparing chicken using alcoholic beverages.-China:In Chinese cuisine there are many different ways of cooking drunken chicken....
(醉雞) - Drunken shrimpDrunken shrimpDrunken shrimp is a popular dish in portions of China based on fresh-water shrimp that are often eaten alive, but stunned in a strong liquor—baijiu —to make consumption easier. Different parts of China have different recipes for it...
(醉蝦) - Drunken gizzard (醉腎)
- Drunken fish (醉魚)
- Drunken crab (醉蟹)
- Drunken liver (醉肝)
- Drunken tofuTofuis a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
(醉豆腐乾) - Drunk phoenix talonChicken feetChicken feet are a part of the chicken that is eaten in Mexican, Chinese, Trinidadian, Jamaican, South African, Peruvian, Dominican, Philippine cuisine and middle east. Most of the edible meat on the feet consists of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture...
(醉鳳爪)